Al-Azhar Demands Release of Bangladesh Scholars and Preachers

Al-Azhar condemned the repression suffered by Muslim demonstrators in Bangladesh protesting the unjust sentencing of scholars and preachers. Sunni Islam’s highest authority stressed that the protection of the freedoms and the rights of peoples is the duty of governments.

In an official statement, Al-Azhar urged Bangladeshi government officials to halt attacks on demonstrators, protect protesters’ human rights, stop the illegal ‘exceptional’ trials and endeavor to achieve justice.

Islam’s highest center of learning appealed to the Bangladeshi government to meet the demands of the people and release innocent scholars and preachers, adding that the true religion of Islam guaranteed freedoms of all persons, while international laws and norms ensure the right of peaceful demonstration to the people. It further assured that governments’ standing against the will of their citizens would be nothing but an exercise in futility.

Al-Azhar called on Muslims to stand by their brothers and sisters in Bangladesh and to provide as much help as necessary.